Sep 23, 2009 6:35 am US/Central
Empress Casino In Joliet Lays Off 56 Workers
Fire Severely Damaged Casino, Shut It Down For 3 Months
JOLIET, Ill. (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
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The Empress Casino in Joliet sustained major damage after a fire March 20, 2009. The casino was closed for three months, and now it is laying off 56 employees.
CBS
Empress Casino employees survived a fire that shut down the operation for three months. But 56 casino workers lost their jobs last week in cuts the company attributed in part to a "soft economy."
The casino company said Tuesday it has cut 45 full-time and 11 part-time employees.
At the same time, the Empress plans to hire seven full-time and 18 part-time employees for positions in various departments.
Most of the reductions came in the food and beverage department. The casino has reopened since the fire in March. But the pavilion building, which housed restaurants, a bar and a banquet hall, is being rebuilt.
"We needed to make an adjustment in the number and types of positions at Empress based on the current business volume," Eric Schippers, senior vice president of public affairs for Empress owner Penn National Gaming, said in a written statement.
The company said employees who lost their jobs last week could be eligible for the new positions depending on their skills and qualifications.
Empress had 875 employees at the time of the fire.
Schippers noted that Penn National continued to pay Empress employees for 90 days while the operation was shut down after the fire.
"Since reopening, we have done our best to maintain the current staffing, despite the loss of several [food and beverage] outlets," Schippers said. "We care deeply about our team members, but the soft economy continues to take its toll on the state's casino operators."
Illinois casinos began to cut back on employment since a statewide smoking ban went into effect in January 2008, said Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association.
Casino revenues fell after the ban went into effect. Chicago-area casinos were especially hard hit since customers had the option of going to Indiana where they could both smoke and gamble.
But Empress revenues have continued to decline from year-ago levels when the ban was already in place.
The Empress stepped up a remodeling plan for the casino after the fire and opened a refurbished gambling operation in June.
But Empress revenue has continued to tail off. Casino revenue for August was down 14.8 percent, or $2.4 million from August 2008. In July, the first full month of business after the Empress reopened its remodeled casino, revenues were down 2.6 percent compared to a year ago.
The Empress experience is not singular. Statewide casino revenues were down 9.8 percent in August and 6.6 percent in July as the industry continues to feel the impact of the recession.
Harrah's Joliet casino revenues were down 13.4 percent in August and 9.2 percent in July.
But laid-off Empress employees might be able to find work at Harrah's.
"We are hiring for food and beverage positions," said Harrah's General Manager Darren VanDover. "We have about half a dozen positions open."
Harrah's, however, did lay off 45 employees nearly a year ago.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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